mum who makes :: mad stitches

mum who makes :: mad stitches
madeit.com.au/madstitches

Tell us a bit about yourself?
I am an ALMOST (eeek) 30 year old mama to two wee boys Zac, 3, and Tom, 19 months! I reside in a small leafy suburb, by the sea, in the south-east of Melbourne. Prior to being a mama I was a primary school teacher in Bayside, Melbourne. My passions at the moment are making, creating and thrifting at all the local, and not so local op shops. My big loves are sushi, large skinny mochas and sleep!

Can you explain your craft/art and the materials you like to use?
My craft is quite varied at the moment. Last year I started my business, mad stitches, which mainly consisted of children's clothing, using vintage fabrics, recycled buttons and some Japanese fabrics to create unique one off designs! The clothing is still happening, however I have branched out into incorporating my own woman's jewelry range, into my label. I am finding the jewelry to be very popular at the markets, and on madeit too, so this is an area that I am going to focus more on as we slowly roll into 2011! I am always on the look out for pretty doilies, detailed lace and bright bold fabrics to create whimsical outfits for the children of Melbourne!

How long have you been creating and how did you get into making handmade goodies?
I was starting to feel like I was losing myself, day in and day out of being Mum was making me lose my identity, and as much as I adore being Mum, it was becoming monotonous. So, I taught myself to sew! I have always been creative, enjoying arts, drama and music, however I found it very therapeutic to create, without patterns (I don't DO patterns) for other people. My first market happened by accident. Two friends were invited at the last minute to take part in a local market the following day. They didn't have enough stock, so they invited me to join them!

How do you juggle motherhood & crafting/managing your business?
It really is quite the juggling act isn't it? Motherhood itself is a juggling act at the best of times, so to throw a small business into the works is like juggling my own little circus. I do a lot of my crafting when the boys are asleep, and I also dedicate Tuesdays solely to my business (as my Mum and Dad kindly take the boys for the day). As Tom gets older, I am finding that I can do a little bit of extra work while the boys are awake, as they are more able to keep themselves occupied with their own play! Sewing with a little boy pulling at you only creates disasters, so I leave the machine sewing to times when the boys are not around!

Do you have any advice to other Mothers who are wanting to start creating handmade goodies?
Just do it! You don't need to outlay huge amounts of money to start your own business. The biggest benefit to selling on madeit, is that it can cost as little as 35 cents a listing, so it costs next to nothing to have your own little shop up and running . There are so many online communities on the net that are willing to help, share advice and be your sounding board, so you most definitely will not be alone in your venture!!! Seriously, just do it!